Various computer applications may open computing platforms to virus attacks which compromise computer platform security. The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) develops specifications for enhancing the security of open personal computing platforms. The group defines several mechanisms for improving the assurance level of the PC platform.
Processors incorporate advanced security measurement techniques in conjunction with the basic input/output system (BIOS) to protect the security of a computer platform as a whole. For example, a processor may perform cryptographic measurement on blocks of code in a secure environment during startup to verify the authenticity of the code.